Multicolor pick change device for weaving machines



United States Patent [72] Inventor Peulllaltmeier [56] References Cited Brugg, Switzerland UNITED STATES PATENTS [2 1 1 1 769943 473,260 4/1892 Letalle 139/122 [2 Filed 1 Oct-23,1968 3,111,144 11/1963 Pfarrwaller l39/l26 4s Patented Nov. 24, 1910 FOREIGN PATENTS [73] Assignee Georg Fischer Ltd. I

. BruuBmuSwizerland I 1,376,747 9/1964 lirance l39/l22 l Priofily 1967 Primary Examiner-Henry S. .laudon [33] lll Attorney-Rodney C. Southworth 31 No. 941/67 [54] MULTICOLOR PICK CHANGE DEVICE FOR I27, I71. l79, I80

ABSTRACT: The present invention relates to a multicolor pick change device for weaving machines of the type in which weft is drawn from a supply located outside a shed of a fabric being woven, with vat least two thread feeders withthread eyelets that guide the weft threads connected to the s'elvage from the supply. cones and are employed to feedfithe weft thread selectively in the color to be inserted in the shed to a point where it can be picked up or taken over by a weft inserting member. 1

mafia Nov 24, 1970' 13,542,085

Sheet 1 of 3 INVENTORS' Roam EUGENE FREDERICKSON WALTER JOSEPH HAMMOND ATTORNEYS Patented. Nov. 24, 1970 Sheet Patented Nov. 24, 1970 Sheet 780 INVENTORS v ROBERT EUGENE FREDERICKSON WALTER JOSEPH HAMMOND BY 11... um, W4,

ATTORNEYS CHANGE DEVICE AQ INE p BACKGROUND onrna'mvEisrroN In pickchange devices for this type of weaving machine and already known in the art'thedelivery motionof the thread feeders is obtained by pneumatic actuation. It involves the dis mutrrcotottrllcx I QItWEAVING advantage that the-rate 'ofoperation of the weaving machines is lirnitedby the mode" of "operation of the pressure cylinders and that it requires costly equipment such as numerous con;

trol valves and a compressor or other source ofairpressure.

Again, pick'change devices are known in whichthe drive of l the delivery motion 'of the thread feeders x is' effected 'by mechanical or electromagnetic means which," however ,'overlap the weft threads in readiness in'such a'ma'nner owing to their design thatopera'ting tlfemachirre is rendereddiffiCnltl 2:: DESCRIPTION-9F Tris PREFERREDEMBODIMENT A s s'eenin FIG. rjr mthreadfeeders l {throu h-4 are rotatably arranged on Bolts 6' thr'ou'gh9 attached; to the weaving'machine frame and-so dispo'sedt'hat thread eyeletsl', 3'.

'provided in these thread feeders' in inoperative position'are positioned side by side andkeeptheweft threads not involved in the. weavingprocess away fromxthe; range of operation of a .weft insertion member (notshownLThethread eyelets 1"--4' move'on an arcuate' path toward'the thread feeding point 82 located at substantially onecpoint, herethat occupied by thread eyele'tZ' 'of feeder 2.

. In order to ensure this the endsof the thread feeders l '4 provided with theeyelets 1 -4 are laterally offset or cranked .in such a manner FIG- 9," that each of the eyelets is located, in

active position of any associated thread feeder, substantially at It is an object of the present invention'to'providea device;

which is free of'the' said disadvantages, t hatis;virhichfwill"be simple in design will functl'oh'in a purely mechanical fashion so that one need notdepend upon pneumaticor electromagnetic units."A'further object is that of devising mechanisnrby' j which a' Weft feeder'may be projected or withdrawnatandfor1 the proper time period injtheicycl'eand alsosele'ction"made and stored to govern the'next following change but during at inaction. v t I su AitY'or'rHEINYEN IQN ln order; to insure reliable pickup of 'thetvvefrth readbyIa carrier, it is of particular significance thattheweft threads be conducted, with the greatestpossibleaccuracy; toa' common point of transfer by alllthread feeders.

least partof the timeperiodinwhichthe then feeding-weft is' The invention is accordingly characterized in that each of the thread'feeders can beswung'about anairis of rotation sub; stantially parallel with the thread eyelet, that the ends of the thet'hread feeding point-82111 ieedenl isthus-disposed-in a single vertical plane. Feeders -2, 3 and 4 are progressively crankedat their ends to an extentto bririgtheir ends into the .samesp'lane 5 of feeder l. Pivots. 6+9 are -so arranged that eyelets ,-l "-4' swing {:lotvnftothe point 82. TheIthre'ad-feeders 1 -4are.l;ept-ih-idle lpos'itio'nresting against the'stops '14-- 17 arranged on a P8 5 of 'the weavingmachine frame, by the action' of springs 10 13 The 'feed motion is effected by the "pressure of one of the'associated drivers 22%25; 'one-foreach thread feeder, the said pressure..beingexerted on :the feederslever arms,-'l 8--21,,FIGS.;-3 and4 also, thesaiddriversbeing inth'eir turn-individually rotatable on a common s'pihdle 25a on slide 126.- liegslide 26=is guidedby.a.-slot 27fengaging a thread delivery memberscarrying.thethread eyelets arranged cranked-'onoffset that each thread 'feeder'end and .its -'aspickuppo'int common. toau eys y sociated eyelet camber swung to a weft. threadEfeeding-or' in a plane substantially normal to therunof the th rcadare so i Theinvention also or'np'risesa simple and positive, means to it dobby, jacquard or other pattern means so that the dictates of control the feeders in a -pr'o'perly timed,-and nonint'erferin'gf relationship, and further, to govern their actuation frorn'a that patternshall be s'tore'ci 'andfthen niade' effe'ctiveat the proper pointin the cycle.

EF D CR RTIQN 0 TH: DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a' view of the thread feeders according to thisinventioman'd a cam drive shownin operative position fo parting motion to the'feeders;

FIG. 2 'is a schematic'view of the arrangementaccordingto the invention of thread. selection levers,- controljsh'afts and transfer members from the card contro'l the cam drivebeing represented .in its idle position andfthe weaving machineframe unit or a dobby or jacquard (machine (not shown so that-the so shown in partial sectio'ri thatithethread'feeders' cannot be seen;

FIG. 3 is a section alon'g line rn-nr in FIG. 3 with thear rangement of the select-ion lever whenthe'driver is operatiye and shown in plan view;

FIG. 4 is a similar section-along 1ineIIl'-IIl in FIG. 2 butwith the arrangement of tires election lever whenthe' driver is'inoperativei' FIG. 5 is a section along line V-V in FIG. 2'withthe spring I,

: roller 129,-arrarr'ged on a fixedrbolt on alever 32 arranged on: a stud 31 and connected with an; articulating bolt 30. .It is moved, through 'con'necting rod-34-pivoted at33' and 81,- and a roller lever 35,-by cam 37"which is rigidly attached to a shaft .36 and which turnsat one-half the weaving rate, that is, so that J a feeder change may b e rnadeat each pick,fif desired. Of the driver' si 22, 23; 24; or 25;,1 that-one hasits tongue. 22-25' locatedin the range of' operation of thele'ver arms 18 2l of a thread feeder-(RG93) as is associatedwith theweft color to be inserted in thefsh ThQKOIhCY'dI'lJCl'S are located outside e 'sn si a f t t hreadfeeders (FlGA);

A. swrtc n t selecting'leve'rs38%41 FIG." 2),:engaging theirslots 22' 25 thesaidileverscan be individually rotated about a common stationaryj'shaft 42 and are forced/by the action of springs 43- -"-46.against the.contiolcorners or edges of sectors 47- and 48 (FIG. 4) of control shafts 4 7"and 48. supported at 5' and i 5 FIG.: 2), and rotatable. about their longitudinal axes;

. The controlshafts 47 and 48 individually and selectively assume one of two, positions which can be controlled by a card two shaftstogetherinayassurne four possible positions; In one possible position the controledges-of the 'twocontrol shafts 47, 48 are withdrawn and enable'the selection leverp3 8, 39, 40 or to assume the. operative position according to FIG. 3 jnnderthe action-of spring=43, 44,45 or 46; In the other three positions of the control .shafts 47 and 48, either one'or two controliedges pifojet and prevent the selection lever 38,;39,

. 40 or 41 FIG- 4; frornassuming'operative position. The "con-.

trol'iedges of the-control shaftsy47'and48 'arestaggered, relative'to'thetwo control shafts, for eachof the four selection I levers '38' 4 1,(FIG. 2), so that another selectionleve'rassumesthe'operative positionaccording to FlG. 3i'n'a'ny one. of the fourpossible positions of the control shafts 47 and 48.

' The transmission of motion from the card control attachment.(not shown) to. the-control shafts 47 and 48 iseffected at the time when one ofthe thread feeders 1, 2, 3 for 4 is extended (lowered) and; guided by its thread eyelet 1', 2' 3 or if, its Weft thread is being inserted in the shed. As the extended'thread feeder must then remain immobile-in its posii tion, rotation-of the'zcont'r'olzshafts 4 7 arid 48 is prevented'by locking levers 49 and 50.projecting from themwhich come to rest,'via their arms49 and 50,. (FIGS. 2 and 5) against lugs 51 and 52 projectingfrom an armextendirig' from slide 26 whenthe latter is in the position corresponding to an extended gmovehtcjnt isirnparted to the drivers 22.---2s by j thread feeder as shown in FIG. 1. The motion of the card control attachment is then stored in'torsion springs 53 and 54 which rest with both ends 53 and 54' on an extension 49" and 50" of the fixed levers 49 and 50 and on an extension 55' and 56' of levers 55 and 56 freely rotatable on the control shafts. This storage is operative for its intended purpose when the downward movement of slide 26 on the return of a thread feeder into its idle position causes the fixed levers 49 and 50 to be released by the lugs 51 and 52 and the control shafts 47 and 48 rotate under the action of the tensioned torsion springs 53 and 54 so as to move the necessary selection lever with the associated driver into operative position.

The color selection device described could, in a manner not shown, be provided. in stead of with two control shafts 47 and 48 for four colors. only with one control shaft for two colors or with three or more control shafts for six, eight or more colors.

Transfer of motionfrom the card control attachment to the levers 55 and 56 in the one direction is effected positively by means of wire ropes or'cords 58 and 59 guided by rollers 57 and, in the other direction, by tension springs 60 and 61 attached to the machine frame and to arms 55" and 56'', F168. 2 and 6. The wire ropes may be replaced by other means of transmission, e.g. connecting rods and levers. To sum up, wire cords- 58, 59, or one of them, may pull levers 55", 56" and rotate levers 55, 56 and their extensions to tension a spring 53, 54', as the case may be. Nothing further happens until lugs 51, 52 release arms 49', 50' whereupon the stored tension in the springs rotates the shafts 47, 48 to complete the pattern selection for thedrivers and change the feeders as governed by cam 37.

in positive open shed dobbies where partial intermediate lowering of the upper shed occurs during'the change of shed, the transmission of motion to the levers 55 and 56 is transmitted, via curved levers 65 and 66 rotatably arranged on a fixed shaft 64 and connected to the dobby by means of connecting rods 62 and 63, to roller levers 68 and 69 rotatably arranged on the fixed shaft 67 and connected to the wire ropes 58 and 59. The curved portions 65' and66 are preceded by radially curved contours to ensure that the control motion desirable for the partial intermediate lowering of the shafts is not transferred to the multicolor pick change device. The curved levers 65 and 66 may also be replaced by slides. The contour of the cam ends of the levers is such that the desiredly ineffective motion does not affect the levers 68, 69 but further motion does. If one of the thread feeders 1, 2, 3 or 4 has projected to the thread pickup point, a locking lever 71, FIGS. 7 and 8, pivoted on a fixed bolt 70 moves, under the action of a spring 78, its shoulder 71' underneath the lifted slide 26, FIG. 7. This will hold the said slide and, together with it, the thread feeder, in their position as long as picks of the same color are inserted in the shed. The cam 37 keeps on rotating and moves with its flat or inactive portion 37, past a roller 72 with some play. When the card of the card control attachment indicates a change of color inserted, the wire cords 58 and 59 cause one or both of the levers 55 and 56 to perform an angular movement.

During that movement, the latter press their arms 55" and 56" against the projections 73 and 74 of the lever 76 arranged on a pivot 75. This causes the lever with its arm 76'-to move the locking lever 71 away from the slide 26 which is then freeto move in the downward direction. This downward motion of the slide is effected by the action of a spring 77, P16. 2, when the cam 37 has continued its rotation sufficiently for the cam portion 37' to permit the roller '72 and arm 35 to swing to the right, FIG. 1. Up to that phase, a pawl 80 arranged on a bolt 79 and under the action of the tension spring 78, holds the locking lever 7l'open by its nose 80', FIG. 8. Simultaneously with the downward movement of the slide 26, the appropriate thread feeder 1, 2, 3 or 4 is moved back into its idle position by the action of the spring 10, ll, 12 or 13 and the pawl 80 is forced into its initial position when struck by the slide 26, HO. 2, where it releases the nose 80' i in operation a stored selection will cause the desired selecting lever 38-41 to set its driver-22-25, as the case may be, and upward motion of slide 26 will move the corresponding feeder to position for its weft to be taken by the carrier.

Instead of arranging the-cranks of the thread feeders as shown in the embodiment shown, the said cranks may also be arranged in a reverse or different order.

With the present invention the speed of the weaving machine is not limited by the pick change device thanks to thefullyrnechanical drive of the thread feeders and the small masses moved. The arrangement of the pick change device behind the weft threads in a position of readiness where only the arms of the thread feeders provided with eyelets come into their area, ensures the maximum possible clarity of design.

This disclosure of a preferred embodiment of the invention is to be interpreted as illustrative of forms the invention may take and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention isnot to be restricted except by the scope of the appended claims wherein the novel features desired to be protected by Letters Patent are set forth:

I Claim:

1. A multicolor pick change device for weaving machines with at least two thread feeders, a thread eyelet for each feeder which guides a weft thread being drawn from supply cones arranged outside the shed of a fabric'being woven and which can move the weft thread of the color to be inserted in the shed to a point ofpickup where it can be engaged by a weft inserting carrier, characterized in that, spaced and parallel pivots are provided, one for each of the thread feeders and so positioned and directed that each thread feeder swivels about its own axis of rotation substantially parallel with the axis of its thread eyelet, ends of the thread feeders being arranged in a plane substantially normal to the direction of the threads and in which ends said thread eyelets are fixed, some of said feeder ends also being laterally offset into a plane of a companion feeder end so that each of the feeder ends and its eyelets can be swung into an operative position to a thread pickup point which is common to all thread feeding eyelets.

2. A multicolor pick change device for weavingmachines with at least two thread feeders, a thread eyelet for each feeder which guides a weft thread being drawn from supply cones arranged outside the shed of a fabric being woven and which can move the weft thread of the color to be inserted in the shed to a point ofpickup where it can be engaged by a weft inserting carrier, characterized inthat, spaced and parallel pivots are provided, one for each of the thread feeders and so positioned and directed that each thread feeder swivels about its own axis of rotation substantially parallel with the axis of its thread eyelet, ends of the thread feeders being arranged in a plane substantially normal to the direction of the threads and feeder end so that each of the feeder ends and its eyelets can I be swung into an operative position to a thread pickup point which is common to all thread feeding eyelets, and means for moving said .thread feeders to and from weft feeding position which includes springs to move them from feeding position and' a sliding drive member, drivers pivoted on said sliding drive member movable to an active position in which they engage a part of the thread feeders and to an inactive position in which they do not affect said feeders, a cam for moving said drive member at each pick of the weaving machine at which a weft change is to be effected, means to latch the drive member in a position to hold a feeder active and pattern controlled means including pivoted selector levers articulated with their drivers, one for each driver, to determine which driver shall cause a feeder to present its weft to the carrier.

3. Mechanism as defined in claim 2, wherein the movable member comprises a slide, a shaft on said slide on which said storing pattern indications for change, said means also'un fixed to the shaft, another arm free ly rotatable on the shaft and movable by a pattern selecting means, a spring connection between the said arms which tensioned at selection indication and which acts to set the shaft and levers in accordance with that stored selection when the locking means for the shaft is released. p

6. Mechanismas-defined in claim 5, wherein said locking means comprises an arm extending from the driver carrying membenlugs on the arm and projections from the shaft engagea-ble by said lugs when the driver carrier member is released'and movesto one extreme position under the influence of its return spring. 7. A pick change device according to claim' 4, wherein the means for effecting and storing pattern'indications is effected via certain levers having ,a cam contour which comprises a strokeless portion and a curved cam portion. 

